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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25879474">With Anyone Else</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/larislynn/pseuds/larislynn'>larislynn</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cave-In, Established Relationship, F/M, Flirting, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Kissing, Light Angst, Mom Friend Katara (Avatar), Near Death Experiences, Protective Sokka (Avatar), Reader-Insert, Secret Tunnel Mention, Some Humor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 09:40:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,721</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25879474</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/larislynn/pseuds/larislynn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Sokka convinces you to venture into a forbidden cave, things don't go the way either of you planned.</p><p> </p><p>Request: 17 and 45 from prompt list two with sokka or zuko! if requests aren’t open at the moment, take your time! no rush (Prompts:  “God, I hate you.” and “It’s forbidden for a reason, idiot.”)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sokka (Avatar)/Reader, The Gaang (Avatar) &amp; Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>54</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>With Anyone Else</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leaning against a rock, you basked in the late afternoon sun. For once, you were able to have a relaxing afternoon instead of running from Fire Nation troops. As you closed your eyes, you began to feel a bit drowsy, and before you knew it, you began dozing off. </p><p> </p><p>At least, you were, before a shadow blocked out the sun. Slowly blinking your eyes open, you grumbled at the tall figure standing in front of you. “Sokka, come on, I was just starting to relax a little.”</p><p> </p><p>He laughed, “Trust me, you’ll want to be awake for this. I just found a cave nearby and I think there’s some berry bushes inside!”</p><p> </p><p>Begrudgingly, you sat up. The idea of berries <em> was </em> promising, but you still weren’t sure if it was worth being woken up for. “<em>God, I hate you. </em> But fine, I’ll come along.”</p><p> </p><p>Smirking, he grabbed your hand and pulled you to your feet. “I love you too. Now let’s go before Katara sees us leave.”</p><p> </p><p>“Before I see you leave to go where, exactly?” You turned to see Katara standing near the fire pit, hands on her hips. Glancing at Sokka, you tried to think of a good excuse. </p><p> </p><p>“Well, we were just going to go into the woods,” you began.</p><p> </p><p>At the same time Sokka stated, “We wanted to go to the lake."</p><p> </p><p>“We were going to go to the lake that’s... “ you trailed off, not sure what to say.</p><p> </p><p>“The lake that’s in the woods,” Sokka finished. </p><p> </p><p>“Right,” Katara said, raising an eyebrow. “You were just going to go to the lake that’s in the woods. The one that only you two know about.”</p><p> </p><p>Briefly making eye contact with your boyfriend, you both nodded.</p><p> </p><p>Katara sighed, “You’re going to the cave, aren’t you?”</p><p> </p><p>Sokka chuckled nervously, “What cave? No, there’s no cave with berries in it.”</p><p> </p><p>“She never mentioned the berries,” you sighed, shaking your head in defeat.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s dangerous,” she scolded. “Don’t forget what happened the last time we went into an abandoned cave.” </p><p> </p><p>“How could I? I was stuck with those singing nomads the whole time,” Sokka recounted bitterly.</p><p> </p><p>“Until we leave this camp, going in that cave is strictly forbidden. Understood?” Katara crossed her arms, as if to emphasize her point. </p><p> </p><p>“Yes ma’am,” you saluted sarcastically, although it just gave her command more strength.</p><p> </p><p>She nodded, and squinted her eyes. “Toph and I need to run into the market for some vegetables for the stew, wait here until I return.” She began to walk away before turning back around. “And no going into the forbidden cave, I mean it!”</p><p> </p><p>With that, she was off, Toph following along. Sokka turned to you with a mischievous grin. “So, want to race to the forbidden cave?”</p><p> </p><p>You looked down, shuffling your feet restlessly. Sighing, you shook your head. “I really don’t think it’s the best idea, Sokka. If Katara thinks it’s unsafe it probably is.”</p><p> </p><p>“Or she’s just being a stick in the mud like usual,” he countered.</p><p> </p><p>Rolling your eyes, you groaned in defeat. He clearly wouldn’t give in, and you couldn’t very well let him go alone. “Fine, but I’m only coming with you because I don’t want you getting hurt.”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course. If we get caught I will take all the blame.” He tilted his head towards the woods, motioning for you to follow him. </p><p> </p><p>There was something beautiful in the stillness of the woods as you trekked to the cave. Sunbeams filtered down, creating a mural of light and shadows on the ground below. Sokka weaved his fingers through yours as he led you down a slightly worn path. You wanted to bask in this moment forever. </p><p> </p><p>Unfortunately, good things never seemed to last for long. Before you even realized it, you had reached the entrance to the cavern. It seemed to be under some kind of grassy knoll, and as you inspected it pebbles fell from the dirt ceiling with a slight <em> clunk</em>.</p><p> </p><p>Sokka ventured a bit further in before pausing. “I don’t know how safe this all is.”</p><p> </p><p>You turned your head to where he was standing, not sure if he was serious. “<em>It's forbidden for a reason, idiot.</em>” Of course it wasn’t safe. You could have told him that, but that wouldn’t stop him from wandering into the cave anyways.</p><p> </p><p>He laughed, “You’re right, as usual. We already came this far, how about we go find those berries now?”</p><p> </p><p>Walking deeper into the cave, every sound made you jump. You couldn’t help but think the ceiling was about to come crashing down, or worse, bats would appear from the dark corridors. The unmistakable odor of mildew clung to the air, making you shiver a bit. If mold and mildew were present water was too. </p><p> </p><p>Waterbending was not a skill you possessed, neither was earthbending. If something went wrong, there would be nothing either of you could do. The farther you retreated from the cave’s entrance, the darker it became. Instinctively you leaned towards Sokka.</p><p> </p><p>“Is everything alright?”</p><p> </p><p>You shook your head, not wanting to sound frightened. “It’s nothing. I just have a bit of a bad feeling about this.” </p><p> </p><p>“The berries aren’t too far ahead,” Sokka reassured you. “Once we collect some we can head right back out. No worries.”</p><p> </p><p>He sounded so self-assured that you couldn’t help but feel a bit more calm. However, Sokka felt anything but calm. The last time he had been in the cavern there were no tremors, no pebbles falling from the ceiling. During the time he’d been gone the cave had become more unstable.</p><p> </p><p>A small beam of light shone through onto the branches of a small berry bush. Lush, red berries grew on the branches. They were perfectly ripe and ready to be picked. You moved to step forward, but Sokka grabbed your arm. </p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know if it’s safe,” he confessed. “That light wasn’t here the first time, this whole place seems to be crumbling.”</p><p> </p><p>Glancing at the bush, you shrugged. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’ll just grab a few berries for us both and then we can leave. Like you said, ‘no worries’.” </p><p> </p><p>Stepping forward, you reached out and plucked a berry from the leafy bush. As you did, the wall next to you began to crack. Everything was in slow motion. Dust fell from the ceiling as the cave wall collapsed into a pile of rubble. </p><p> </p><p>A pair of arms snaked around your waist and pulled you away, sending you careening to the ground. You glanced up just as a large rock tumbled to the spot you stood only moments before. Sokka was on the ground next to you, coughing from the dust.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you alright?” His voice was low, barely a whisper. It was as if he was worried that talking too loudly would cause another tremor. </p><p> </p><p>Nodding, you blinked slowly. As you took in your surroundings, you realized you were both on the wrong side of the pile of rubble. From the looks of it, you were trapped. “I’m sorry, this is all my fault. I shouldn’t have gone near the plant.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey,” he replied gently, “it was my idea to come here in the first place. Don’t blame yourself.”</p><p> </p><p>“If we get out of here, Katara will be able to give us the biggest ‘I told you so’.” Only once the words left your mouth did you realize what you said. The ‘if’ hung in the air thickly, a reminder that rescue wasn’t guaranteed. </p><p> </p><p>“We’ll get out of here,” Sokka promised. His hand found yours in the dark, and you laced your fingers with his. He was right, he had to be. “I never should have dragged you into this mess. If I had just listened then maybe we wouldn’t be here.”</p><p> </p><p>“I wouldn’t want to be stuck in a cave with anyone else,” you answered. With a small sigh you placed your head on his shoulder. There had to be some way out. </p><p> </p><p>Glancing around the cave, a thought clicked into place. The bush had to get its water from somewhere, and that odor of mildew revealed that water had to be present. Standing up, you began to dig a hole in the standing dirt wall. </p><p> </p><p>Sokka looked over at you, confusion flashing over his features. “If there was water here,” you asked carefully, “where would it lead?”</p><p> </p><p>Realization glinted in his eyes. “There’s a creek nearby. I was fishing there yesterday. It flowed into a small cave,  but I didn’t have time to look inside.”</p><p> </p><p>“That cave might be behind this wall,” you grinned. “Help me dig a burrow, this could be our escape plan.” </p><p> </p><p>He rushed to your side and pressed a quick kiss to your cheek. “You’re a genius, you know that?”</p><p> </p><p>“I do,” you laughed. “But I wouldn’t mind hearing you say it a bit more often.” Luckily for you both, a crack was already splitting into the wall, making the process of digging a burrow a bit easier. After some time you finally had an opening big enough to crawl through. By the end of it your hands were caked with mud and you were exhausted, but you were almost free. </p><p> </p><p>Sokka led the way, since he knew the creek best. Water trickled through the opening,  but it wasn’t deep and it was refreshingly cold. Soon after you reached the end of the cave and were back in the woods. </p><p> </p><p>You blinked slowly, your eyes adjusting to the new lighting. It was almost dark now and the sun was setting over the horizon. Naturally you gravitated towards Sokka, once again linking your hands together. He pressed his forehead to yours, sighing lightly. “When that wall started to come down,” he confessed, “I was terrified. For a moment I thought I was going to lose you.” </p><p> </p><p>Shaking your head, you pressed your lips to his. You broke away after a moment and whispered, “You can’t get rid of me that easily. But promise me one thing?”</p><p> </p><p>“Anything,” he smiled.</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s not tell Katata what happened today.”</p><p> </p><p>“Tell me what?” a voice called from over your shoulder. “That you went into the forbidden cave after I warned you not to?”</p><p> </p><p>“We are in so much trouble.” you chuckled lightly. </p><p> </p><p>Sokka smiled, “I wouldn’t want to be in trouble with anyone else.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wow it’s been a hot minute since I posted! Sorry I’m so behind on requests and on In The Spotlight, things have been crazy here. I can’t promise my posting schedule will be back to normal now, but it should be more frequent! As always, kudos and comments are appreciated! Love you all! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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